Refrigerating jacket



F. A. TAYLOR July 26, 1966 Filed Dec. 18, 1964 United States Patent 3,262,283 REFRIGERATING JACKET Frank A. Taylor, West Palm Beach, Fla., assignor of fifty percent to A. Yates Dowel! and A. Yates Dowell, Jr., Washington, D.C.

Filed Dec. 18, 1964, Ser. No. 419,444 2 Claims. (Cl. 62372) This invention relates to the handling of commodities of many and various kinds including those for human consumption and the temperature of which is desired to be modified by chilling or heating and retained in such modified condition to be used in various ways including as refreshments and the like, both in liquid and in solid condition.

The invention relates particularly to the refrigeration of beer and other potable substances which are refrigerated for increasing palatability prior to consumption and which beer and other substances frequently are sold in cartons or packs of individual cans or bottles, but first refrigerated before they are sold in order that the reduced temperature may be retained to enhance the palatability of the product.

Beer and other drinks are sold in take-out packages or small cartons of individual cans or bottles and these are refrigerated prior to sale for consumption by the purchaser without having to place them in a refrigerator, the cooled containers being subjected to atmospheric temperature with the contents becoming less palatable when not consumed promptly, as, for example, when taken on picnics and over substantial distances with resultant reduction in palatability and refrigerating characteristics. Attempts have been made to provide means for maintaining the modified temperature including use of insulated carriers of various kinds, both flexible and rigid, but these have been unsatisfactory because they have failed to maintain the temperature constant or were expensive, bulky or cumbersome to handle, and objectionable for other reasons.

It is an object of the invention to provide an inexpensive, disposable, easily applied refrigerating jacket which can be employed to extend or hold or retain the refrigerating effect of objects such as bottles or cans of liquid refreshment, as well as a device of this character which can be disposed in folded stacked compact condition when not in use and while being refrigerated, and which can be readily unfolded and applied about a carton holding individual containers to refrigerate them during transportation to a place of consumption without occupying any appreciable space and to which no consideration need be given after the application of the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a thermal jacket of a configuration to conform closely to the exterior of the object to which applied, such device being composed of independent relatively thin fiat containers, each corresponding to a wall or surface of the object the temperature of which is desired to be retained and having within each container a gelatin or other substance which can be cooled or heated and will remain in such state for a substantial length of time when subjected to atmospheric temperature while transporting of a carton to a place of consumption or use, such jacket being adapted to lie closely against the four upright surfaces and also being provided with a handle or carrying means.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustrating one embodiment of the invention in use having a single thickness bottom, double thickness side walls, and a handle, applied to a carton;

3,262,283- Patented July 26, 1966 FIG. 2, a perspective of the jacket itself;

FIG. 3, a horizontal section on the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4, a perspective of the jacket prior to folding; and,

FIG. 5, a perspective of a plurality of jackets in folded stacked relation.

Briefly stated, the invention is a jacket applicable to a carton or pack of individual containers for retarding heat transfer between the contents of the container and the atmosphere, and such jacket being of a size and having relatively thin fiat walls arranged to fit snugly about a carton or pack to which it is applied. The jacket has a mid-portion and side walls, the latter being of double thickness and containing a medium such as gelatin or other substance, capable of being placed in a freezing chamber and frozen, or in an oven and heated, and then applied to a carton or pack to further the prolonged cold or hot character of the product. Such jacket has two pairs of sides attached to the marginal edges of the bottom, and the jacket is foldable and stackable and of such inexpensive construction that it can be readily used and discarded after such use.

With continued reference to the drawing, the jacket of the present invention is composed of a bottom or rnidportion 10 which may be of single thickness and generally rectangular construction and with four side walls 11 of double thickness connected along their margins 12, 13, 14, and 15 to the bottom 10.

When the side walls 11 are disposed in upright position the edges of the adjacent upright walls are in close contiguous relation and such upright walls and the bottom provide an open-topped container. In the opentopped container just described a carton or pack 16 of smaller objects 17 may be snugly received the temperature of which it is desired to maintain uniform. The upright side walls of the jacket are of a character to lie flat against the corresponding flat surfaces of the carton or pack 16.

In order to maintain the side walls 11 in upright position with their contiguous edges in substantial contact, a pair of handles 18 are provided, such handles having one end affixed to the upper edge of one of the side walls 11 while the opposite end of the handle is provided with a knob or button 19 adapted to be received in a button hole 20 on the opposite side wall 11. The two other sides may be connected in like manner so that when the jacket is applied there are a pair of crossing handles, one at right angles to the other, by which the jacket and its contents can be lifted.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that each of the side walls is an independent unit with double walls connected at least around their margins and in which double walls is contained a gelatin or other medium which will retain heat or cold for a substantial period of time and thus delay the temperature of the jacket and the contents thereof from changing to the temperature of the atmosphere surrounding the same, and to which the jacket and its contents are exposed. Also it will be apparent that the jacket may be produced of inexpensive plastic or other materials so that it may be discarded after a single use. Further it will be apparent that the jacket can be disposed fiat either folded or stacked. A

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A jacket applicable about a carton of articles for retarding heat trans-fer between such articles and the atmosphere, said jacket comprising a relatively hollow body having relatively thin flat wall means of a size snugly to fit about a carton to which it is applied, said relatively thin substantially fiat wall means corresponding in size and shape to the exterior walls of a carton, said wall means equipped with portions connected at their extremities to provide a substantially continuous enclosure for the sides of a carton to retain the latter therein, said relatively flat wall means being hollow and containing aternperature modification medium of a character to retard heat transfer for an extended time to produce a prolonged temperature effect, said jacket being foldable and stackable and being of an inexpensive construction and containing inexpensive substance within said hollow wall means such as gelatin whereby it may be used and readily discarded.

2. The structure of claim 1 having means by which it may be picked up with its contents.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS LLOYD L. KING, Primary Examiner. 

1. A JACKET APPLICABLE ABOUT A CARTON OF ARTICLES FOR RETARDING HEAT TRANSFER BETWEEN SUCH ARTICLES AND THE ATMOSPHERE, SAID JACKET COMPRISING A RELATIVELY HOLLOW BODY HAVING RELATIVELY THIN FLAT WALL MEANS OF A SIZE SNUGLY TO FIT ABOUT A CARTON TO WHICH IT IS APPLIED, SAID RELATIVELY THIN SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT WALL MEANS CORRESPONDING IN SIZE AND SHAPE TO THE EXTERIOR WALLS OF A CARTON, SAID WALL MEANS EQUIPPED WITH PORTIONS CONNECTED AT THEIR EXTERMITIES TO PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS ENCLOSURE FOR THE SIDES OF A CARTON TO RETAIN THE LATTER THEREIN, SAID RELATIVELY FLAT WALL MEANS BEING HOLLOW AND CONTAINING A TEMPERATURE MODIFICATION MEDIUM OF A CHARACTER TO RETARD HEAT TRANSFER FOR AN EXTENDED TIME TO PRODUCE A PROLONGED TEMPERATURE EFFECT, SAID JACKET BEING FOLDABLE AND STACKABLE AND BEING OF AN INEXPENSIVE CONSTRUCTION AND CONTAINING INEXPENSIVE SUBSTANCE WITHIN SAID HOLLOW WALL MEANS SUCH AS GELATIN WHEREBY IT MAY BE USED AND READILY DISCARDED. 